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Tonight (Nov. 16, 2009) the Leonid meteor shower will be visible in the North American sky . While Asia is expected to see the most activity, North America is expecting an above average show. It also happens to be a new moon, which means very little lunar light to interfere with observance.

Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office expects 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas, and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia. It is expected that we will pass through the debris field of this particular Leonid about 4am EST (1AM Pacific). This show is expected to be better than usual – this shower is an annual event – because earth is traveling in the opposite direction of the debris field. This means that the tiny specks of ice and rock will be passing through earth’s atmosphere at around 160,000 MPH.

If you are planning on viewing the show, scientists are giving a few recommendations. First, give yourself at least 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Second, Give the show at least a half an hour. The 20 to 30 meteors per hour entering over North America could happen in bursts and not through regular intervals.